Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 5[a]
For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments;[b] a psalm of David.
5 Listen to what I say,[c] Lord!
Carefully consider my complaint![d]
2 Pay attention to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for I am praying to you!
3 Lord, in the morning[e] you will hear[f] me;[g]
in the morning I will present my case to you[h] and then wait expectantly for an answer.[i]
4 Certainly[j] you are not a God who approves of evil;[k]
evil people[l] cannot dwell with you.[m]
5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence;[n]
you hate[o] all who behave wickedly.[p]
6 You destroy[q] liars;[r]
the Lord despises[s] violent and deceitful people.[t]
7 But as for me,[u] because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house;[v]
I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you.[w]
8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness[x]
because of those who wait to ambush me,[y]
remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me.[z]
9 For[aa] they do not speak the truth;[ab]
their stomachs are like the place of destruction,[ac]
their throats like an open grave,[ad]
their tongues like a steep slope leading into it.[ae]
10 Condemn them,[af] O God!
May their own schemes be their downfall.[ag]
Drive them away[ah] because of their many acts of insurrection,[ai]
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But may all who take shelter[aj] in you be happy.[ak]
May they continually[al] shout for joy.[am]
Shelter them[an] so that those who are loyal to you[ao] may rejoice.[ap]
12 Certainly[aq] you reward[ar] the godly,[as] Lord.
Like a shield you protect[at] them[au] in your good favor.[av]
Psalm 6[aw]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style;[ax] a psalm of David.
6 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger.
Do not discipline me in your raging fury.[ay]
2 Have mercy on me,[az] Lord, for I am frail.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking.[ba]
3 I am absolutely terrified,[bb]
and you, Lord—how long will this continue?[bc]
4 Relent, Lord, rescue me![bd]
Deliver me because of your faithfulness.[be]
5 For no one remembers you in the realm of death.[bf]
In Sheol who gives you thanks?[bg]
6 I am exhausted as I groan.
All night long I drench my bed in tears;[bh]
my tears saturate the cushion beneath me.[bi]
7 My eyes[bj] grow dim[bk] from suffering;
they grow weak[bl] because of all my enemies.[bm]
8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly,[bn]
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.[bo]
9 The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy;
the Lord has accepted[bp] my prayer.
10 They will be humiliated[bq] and absolutely terrified.[br]
All my enemies will turn back and be suddenly humiliated.
Psalm 10[a]
10 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble?[b]
2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed;[c]
the oppressed are trapped[d] by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up.[e]
3 Yes,[f] the wicked man[g] boasts because he gets what he wants;[h]
the one who robs others[i] curses[j] and[k] rejects the Lord.[l]
4 The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,
“God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.”[m]
5 He is secure at all times.[n]
He has no regard for your commands;[o]
he disdains all his enemies.[p]
6 He says to himself,[q]
“I will never[r] be shaken,
because I experience no calamity.”[s]
7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words;[t]
his tongue injures and destroys.[u]
8 He waits in ambush near the villages;[v]
in hidden places he kills the innocent.
His eyes look for some unfortunate victim.[w]
9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket.[x]
He lies in ambush, waiting to catch[y] the oppressed;
he catches the oppressed[z] by pulling in his net.[aa]
10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;
they are trapped in his sturdy nets.[ab]
11 He says to himself,[ac]
“God overlooks it;
he does not pay attention;
he never notices.”[ad]
12 Rise up, Lord![ae]
O God, strike him down.[af]
Do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why does the wicked man reject God?[ag]
He says to himself,[ah] “You[ai] will not hold me accountable.”[aj]
14 You have taken notice,[ak]
for[al] you always see[am] one who inflicts pain and suffering.[an]
The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you;[ao]
you deliver[ap] the fatherless.[aq]
15 Break the arm[ar] of the wicked and evil man.
Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds,[as]
which he thought you would not discover.[at]
16 The Lord rules forever![au]
The nations are driven out of his land.[av]
17 Lord, you have heard[aw] the request[ax] of the oppressed;
you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer.[ay]
18 You defend[az] the fatherless and oppressed,[ba]
so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them.[bb]
Psalm 11[bc]
For the music director, by David.
11 In the Lord I have taken shelter.[bd]
How can you say to me,[be]
“Flee to a mountain like a bird.[bf]
2 For look, the wicked[bg] prepare[bh] their bows,[bi]
they put their arrows on the strings,
to shoot in the darkness[bj] at the morally upright.[bk]
3 When the foundations[bl] are destroyed,
what can the godly[bm] accomplish?”[bn]
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;[bo]
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.[bp]
His eyes[bq] watch;[br]
his eyes[bs] examine[bt] all people.[bu]
5 The Lord approves of[bv] the godly,[bw]
but he[bx] hates[by] the wicked and those who love to do violence.[bz]
6 May he rain down[ca] burning coals[cb] and brimstone[cc] on the wicked!
A whirlwind is what they deserve.[cd]
7 Certainly[ce] the Lord is just;[cf]
he rewards godly deeds.[cg]
The upright will experience his favor.[ch]
Job Replies to Eliphaz
6 Then Job responded:[a]
2 “Oh, if only[b] my grief[c] could be weighed,[d]
and my misfortune laid[e] on the scales too![f]
3 But because it is heavier[g] than the sand[h] of the sea,
that is why my words have been wild.[i]
4 For the arrows[j] of the Almighty[k] are within me;
my spirit[l] drinks their poison;[m]
God’s sudden terrors[n] are arrayed against[o] me.
A Cry for Death
8 “Oh that[a] my request would be realized,[b]
and that God would grant me what I long for![c]
9 And that God would be willing[d] to crush me,
that he would let loose[e] his hand
and[f] kill me.[g]
10 Then I would yet have my comfort,[h]
then[i] I would rejoice,[j]
in spite of pitiless pain,[k]
for[l] I have not concealed the words[m] of the Holy One.[n]
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?[o]
And what is my end,[p]
that I should prolong my life?
12 Is my strength like that of stones?[q]
Or is my flesh made of bronze?
13 Is not[r] my power to help myself nothing,
and has not every resource[s] been driven from me?
Disappointing Friends
Peter Heals Aeneas
32 Now[a] as Peter was traveling around from place to place,[b] he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.[c] 33 He found there a man named Aeneas who had been confined to a mattress for eight years because[d] he was paralyzed. 34 Peter[e] said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ[f] heals you. Get up and make your own bed!”[g] And immediately he got up. 35 All[h] those who lived in Lydda[i] and Sharon[j] saw him, and they[k] turned[l] to the Lord.
Peter Raises Dorcas
36 Now in Joppa[m] there was a disciple named Tabitha (which in translation means[n] Dorcas).[o] She was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity.[p] 37 At that time[q] she became sick[r] and died. When they had washed[s] her body,[t] they placed it in an upstairs room. 38 Because Lydda[u] was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Come to us without delay.”[v] 39 So Peter got up and went with them, and[w] when he arrived[x] they brought him to the upper room. All[y] the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him[z] the tunics[aa] and other clothing[ab] Dorcas used to make[ac] while she was with them. 40 But Peter sent them all outside,[ad] knelt down,[ae] and prayed. Turning[af] to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.[ag] 41 He gave[ah] her his hand and helped her get up. Then he called[ai] the saints and widows and presented her alive. 42 This became known throughout all[aj] Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.[ak] 43 So[al] Peter[am] stayed many days in Joppa with a man named[an] Simon, a tanner.[ao]
60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things,[a] said, “This is a difficult[b] saying![c] Who can understand it?”[d] 61 When Jesus was aware[e] that his disciples were complaining[f] about this, he said to them, “Does this cause you to be offended?[g] 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?[h] 63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help![i] The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.[j] 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)[k] 65 So Jesus added,[l] “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.”[m]
Peter’s Confession
66 After this many of his disciples quit following him[n] and did not accompany him[o] any longer. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”[p] 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We[q] have come to believe and to know[r] that you are the Holy One of God!”[s] 70 Jesus replied,[t] “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?”[u] 71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot,[v] for Judas,[w] one of the twelve, was going to betray him.)[x]
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